Americans believe more than ever that the terrorists are winning the war on terror.

In a new CNN/ORC poll, just 18 percent of Americans surveyed said the U.S. and its allies were ahead in the terror fight, with 40 percent now saying the terrorists have the upper hand.

The numbers are almost completely flopped from when the question was first asked, just one month after the 9/11 terror attacks.

Then, 42 percent said the U.S. was winning the war on terror, while 11 percent said the terrorists were dominating the fight.

Those numbers have bobbed up and down through the years, but this latest poll showed the most dramatic spike in public opinion, as Americans have grown increasingly concerned about ISIS in light of the attacks in San Bernardino, California and Paris, France.

If the poll numbers truly reflect the pulse of the nation, it indicates that a full three-fourths of the country believe Obama is failing, and that the American fight against terrorism – now well into its second decade – is all but doomed.

‘Zero Confidence’

Of course, the strategy (or lack thereof) to combat ISIS and deal with the Syrian crisis has many Americans expressing “zero confidence” in President Obama – enough that the ORC polling people found a major spike and shift in public opinion:

Now the largest chunk of Americans says they’re not at all satisfied with the way things are going as the country deals with this threat.

… 64 percent said they disapproved of Obama’s handling of ISIS, a number which has remained constant for the past six months.

The spike comes from those who say they have zero confidence in the current White House, with 30 percent now giving that response, up from the 16 percent who said it in 2010.

President Obama has long been a polarizing figure, but a significant “zero confidence” number is a pretty harsh rebuke, and a sure sign that policy is headed for a major shift under the next president, regardless of party.

As a result of the failures to stop the spread of ISIS in the contentious areas of Iraq and Syria, many Americans have in turn supported the knee jerk reaction to send in U.S. ground troops and engage in yet another war in the Middle East.

There is more war in the air, and the weakness of the current president has done much to contribute to that climate.